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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22363561">I Want to Hold your Hand (Amongst Other Things)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/adashofblue/pseuds/adashofblue'>adashofblue</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The adventures of Groffiong™ [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sex Education (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adam Is Soft, Canon Compliant, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eric Is Patient, Eric Teaches Adam How To Cuddle, Eric's POV, Fluff, I Wrote This On The Schoolbus, Kinda messy, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Making Up, Mama Effiong, Mentioned Past Bullying, Mutual Pining, Otis Is A Good Friend, Please don't read if you haven't finished season 2!, Post-Canon, Romance, Spoilers, Third Wheel Rahim, Yup you read that right, s2e08 I Want To Hold Your Hand</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 10:40:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,386</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22363561</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/adashofblue/pseuds/adashofblue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Cuddle,” Adam echoed back, tasting the word as if it was foreign to him. Eric rolled his eyes, turning towards Adam so that their knees were touching. </p><p>“Yes, Adam, cuddle. There are other ways to make up for lost time than sex, y’know.”</p><p>Or; A tooth-rotting fluff fic that takes place directly after Season 2's finale! So y'know, spoilers, obviously. </p><p>[[This is my first attempt at writing about these two, and I don't want to hear any shit about their relationship being abusive. So please, if you don't like the ship, don't read!]]</p><p>With that out of the way, happy reading!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eric Effiong &amp; Adam Groff, Eric Effiong &amp; Otis Milburn, Eric Effiong/Adam Groff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The adventures of Groffiong™ [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1617100</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>566</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I Want to Hold your Hand (Amongst Other Things)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">

        <li>
          Translation into Русский available: 
            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29762289">Я хочу держать тебя за руку (помимо всего прочего)</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heidel/pseuds/Heidel">Heidel</a>
        </li>


    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This was surreal. Eric was walking hand-in-hand with none other than Adam Groff down the school corridor, on their way outside. Adam’s hand was trembling slightly, but Eric didn’t say anything. Instead, he gave his hand a little squeeze, nudging the guy in the side.</p><p>“You good?”</p><p>Adam nodded, but he looked a little overwhelmed. And he had every right to be. After all, he just came out in front of the entire school, including his dad who hopefully no longer was principal anymore. And in the middle of a school play and all! The way it was executed was clumsy and awkward and - Eric sighed to himself - <em>so</em> fucking romantic. He didn’t think he was much for grand romantic gestures, but when Adam came on stage and called his name, he melted into a big puddle. And as much as his mind screamed at him not to accept Adam’s confession and take his hand, his heart screamed yes, and it drowned out everything else by a long shot.</p><p>So that’s how he ended up here, with his former school bully on his side as he approached a frantic-looking Otis.</p><p>“Hey Eric, I was looking for you!”</p><p>His best friend sort of froze for a moment, scanning Eric and Adam both up and down before narrowing his eyes at Eric, crossing his arms over his chest.<em> Oh God, here we go. </em></p><p>“You sure about this? I know I said I was supportive if you decided to be with him, but you don’t feel forced, right?” rambled Otis, making Eric feel extremely embarrassed. This guy really didn’t understand timing, did he?</p><p>“I can hear you, genius,” Adam said with an easy grin and Eric almost hugged his arm, he was fucking precious.</p><p>Eric couldn’t believe this was the same guy that used to slam him into lockers. And not in the sexy way. Literally every other student seemed to think the same, because when they passed the trio by, they just fucking gaped at them.</p><p>“No, Otis, I don’t. Don’t worry about me, alright? I’m a big boy, I can take care of myself.”</p><p>“Sure…”</p><p>But he didn’t sound convinced.</p><p>“As long as you’re happy, I’m happy. You, though…”</p><p>Otis focused his attention on Adam now, looking wary.</p><p>“Remember what I told you, alright?”</p><p>And with that, Otis took off, leaving Eric confused. He and Adam began walking again, closer and closer to the exit. Adam didn’t let go of his hand the entire time.</p><p>“What did he mean by that?”</p><p>“Nothing. It’s nothing.”</p>
<hr/><p>Eric’s mom and siblings waited for the pair in their car, by the curb outside the front door of the school building.</p><p>“Eric, are you coming? Adam’s welcome to join us, too, of course!”</p><p>“Give me a minute, ma!” Eric laughed back, unsure if he was laughing out of nerves or relief. Relief that maybe, just <em>maybe</em>, Adam was ready to start over.</p><p>He pulled Adam aside to check on him, away from the prying eyes of his classmates.</p><p>“I uh…”</p><p>But he trailed off, unable to keep a smile from reaching his cheeks as he looked up at Adam, whose eyes alone spoke in volumes of what he was feeling. There was fear and apprehension, and there was uncertainty, but above all of that, there was a hopefulness in his eyes that Eric had never seen before. A hopefulness that spread to Eric and nestled itself into his chest, spreading out to the tips of his fingers. He felt invincible.</p><p>“I hoped you would make it to the play, but I never expected you to do something like that. I… I really appreciate it,” Eric said, choosing his words carefully.</p><p>Now that he had Adam, he was ecstatic, but at the same time <em>terrified</em>, because having him meant he could <em>lose</em> him. He did not want to screw this up.</p><p>But Adam looked untroubled, like he’d just freed himself from something. Or rather, some<em>one</em>. (Here's a hint: It's his dad)</p><p>“I don’t know, I meant for it to be less… awkward, I s’pose. Just felt like snogging you on stage would divert all the attention away from the show.”</p><p>In a rush of sudden boldness, Adam brought Eric’s hand up to his lips and kissed it. A gasp escaped Eric, who turned redder than fucking cranberry sauce.</p><p>“I wouldn’t have minded,” managed Eric in a high pitched voice, which evoked a chuckle from Adam.</p><p>The taller laced their fingers together, a faint smile playing on his features.</p><p>“I know you wouldn’t’ve. But hey, as much as I want to keep holding your hand, your family’s waiting for you.”</p><p>“You could come with me, if you wanted?”</p><p>He suggested it before registering that he might be moving a bit too fast, and he averted his gaze to the pavement beneath his feet.</p><p>But to his surprise, Adam replied “Yes,” without much hesitation.</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Yeah. Let’s go.”</p>
<hr/><p>The car ride back to Eric’s place was probably not that long, but the seconds felt like hours as they passed with Adam’s side tightly pressed against his in the small space of the backseat. Eric’s mom kept glancing at Eric through the rear-view mirror and his sisters were both grinning at him. It was driving him crazy. Thankfully, Adam saved the situation and began telling Eric how he may be able to return to school - which was no less than thrilling to hear - and eventually, they reached their destination.</p><p>Eric’s heart was beating concerningly fast in his chest as the family piled out of the car and into their house. <em>Adam Groff was inside his house.</em> That was a big pill to swallow.</p><p>“All right Eric, Adam, dinner should be ready in about an hour,” Eric’s mom informed the boys, who were on their way up to Eric’s room.</p><p>While Adam looked around, Eric spotted a porcelain shard on his bedside table, and, as casually as he could, he backed up to slide it into a nearby drawer.</p><p>“It ain’t much, but it’s home.”</p><p>Adam hummed, welcoming himself to sit on Eric’s bed.</p><p>Eric approached him, thinking he might be having heart palpitations. He never felt this way with Rahim, which made him a little sad. He thought he genuinely liked the French boy -- <em>romantically</em>, that is --, but comparing him to Adam, he realized that Rahim helped him <em>cope</em> more than anything. He felt awful.</p><p>“What’s with that look?”</p><p>“Rahim…” Eric began, and upon hearing the name, Adam’s face fell.</p><p>“You want to be with him.”</p><p>“No! No, no, that’s not it. I just… I feel bad. Y’know? I had agreed to be his boyfriend and, well...”</p><p>That seemed to restore some hope with the other, who held Eric’s eyes, so easily in a vice-like grip.</p><p>“Yeah. Yeah, I get it. I think he might’ve expected it, though. Not that I did.”</p><p>He let out a little laugh, which was rare. On top of that, this was probably the most Adam has talked in all the years Eric has known him. Eric’s brow furrowed, though, when Adam’s words sunk in.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“Well, I met him in the shop. Before the play.”</p><p><em>Oh</em>. Eric swallowed.</p><p>“What’d he say?”</p><p>“That you didn’t laugh like you do with me when you’re with him,” Adam replied, that uncertainty back, laced in his voice despite his calm tone.</p><p>Eric was the opposite of calm himself, his face hot.<em> Fucking hell.</em> You can’t make that shit up either, Rahim <em>knew</em> about Eric’s affection for Adam.</p><p>“Is it that obvious?”</p><p>Adam shrugged. He leaned back to make himself comfortable on Eric’s bed, only to flinch, grimacing as his hand disappeared beneath the covers. He pulled out another porcelain shard and horror dawned on Eric. <em>What the fuck was that doing in his bed?! </em></p><p>“You takin’ up an interest in pottery or something, Eric?”</p><p>A very smug grin tilted the corners of his mouth upwards, Adam was pleased as punch with his find. At least Eric’s embarrassment made him smile, Eric thought. He cleared his throat, stalling.</p><p>“I uh… broke my mom’s tea set? And tried to hide the evidence?”</p><p>“You’re a terrible liar,” Adam claimed, sitting back up and grabbing Eric’s hand to tug him closer.</p><p>Eric lay a palm on his chest, mock-offended.</p><p>“How dare you! I’ll have you know I’m an excellent- MMF!”</p><p>He was cut off by Adam pulling him down and pressing his lips against his own, and he was pretty okay with it. He straddled Adam’s lap, melting into the kiss as his hands came around Adam’s neck to hold onto him. Adam tasted of vanilla and spice, kissing him was like returning home after weeks away at camp. Adam’s hands moved from Eric’s arms to his neck, then his back, his touches exploring and gentle. He gave a tug on Eric’s shirt, and Eric sighed into their kiss, pulling away with some serious effort. He ought to get a gold medal for resisting Adam’s advantages, he thought.</p><p>“We can’t. I mean, not now, the whole family’s downstairs…”</p><p>“I know. Just want to feel you. Take off your shirt.”</p><p>Eric hesitated, a fierce attempt at withstanding Adam’s request. Then, Adam looked at him like a kicked puppy, and Eric popped the buttons of his shirt with haste. Just take his bloody gold medal, he doesn’t want it.</p><p>“Fine. You win.”</p><p>“I do. Every time,” smiled Adam, helping Eric out by pushing his shirt down and off of his arms, tossing it onto one of the bedposts.</p><p>Eric suddenly felt very vulnerable with Adam’s eyes inspecting every inch of his dark skin, but Adam didn’t allow him to linger in that feeling for long, diving back in to kiss his neck, littering the sensitive skin with kitty licks and the most gentle of bites.</p><p>Eric shuddered, tilting his head back to give Adam better access to his throat, and every kiss, every touch that grazed his skin was featherlight. Adam wasn’t manhandling him, he was <em>worshipping</em> him. That realization alone was almost too much to bear. Eric guided Adam’s face back up again to kiss him deep and slow. He only pulled back when he felt something hard poking into the inside of his thigh.</p><p>“You know, you only have yourself to blame for this,” he grinned, boldly rolling his hips forward, making Adam’s grip on his waist tighten. He looked pissed, and Eric couldn’t help but laugh.</p><p>“Don’t worry, we’ll have time for that later.”</p><p>And he intended to take his time with Adam whenever ‘later’ was, to put it lightly. After all, Eric’d not only heard the rumors about this guy’s… <em>deck</em>, but he’d seen it for himself as well. And well, you can’t blame a guy for being curious.</p><p>Nonetheless, that would have to wait, so Eric reluctantly slid off Adam’s lap, sitting down on his bed instead. Adam tossed him his shirt and Eric put it back on, rebuttoning it. He cleared his throat, a bit flustered, and he felt Adam’s eyes on him.</p><p>“So what now?”</p><p>“I don’t know, we could talk? Or cuddle?”</p><p>“Cuddle,” Adam echoed back, tasting the word as if it was foreign to him.</p><p>Eric rolled his eyes, turning towards Adam so that their knees were touching.</p><p>“Yes, Adam, <em>cuddle</em>. There are other ways to make up for lost time than sex, y’know.”</p><p>“No. I don’t know.”</p><p>The slight smile that was forming on Eric’s face faded. Maybe Adam <em>didn’t</em> know. Had his parents completely alienated him from any kind of affection? Sometimes, Eric understood why Adam had bullied him before. If you’d been raised through isolation of love and kindness, that must be all you can give yourself. But Adam promptly proved Eric wrong by speaking up, barely audible but there all the same.</p><p>“Show me?”</p><p>A warmth blossomed in Eric’s chest, he was quick to reclaim his place atop Adam’s lap, but this time, it wasn’t for a makeout sesh.</p><p>“It would be my pleasure.~”</p><p>With that, Eric leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Adam’s neck, pulling him into a tight hug. He buried his face in Adam’s shoulder and exhaled. He had a hunch Adam would be warm and was delighted to find out he was right.</p><p>Adam remained stiff at first, his arms stuck mid-air. But then, they came around the other’s waist, and yup- he was a good hugger. <em>Score</em>, Eric thought, smiling as he nuzzled his nose against the skin of Adam’s neck. A low sound reverbed in the back of Adam’s throat.</p><p>“Tease.”</p><p>But Eric said nothing. He only encouraged Adam to lay down with him, silently, not breaking contact once as the taller complied, his back hitting the mattress beneath him. Eric made himself comfy half atop his new official body pillow, stroking up and down Adam’s arm with a dopey grin on his face. He was content. Adam seemed to catch on, a fast learner, as he took Eric’s free hand and hummed, tracing shapes into his palm.</p><p>“Okay, I kinda get it.”</p><p>“Right?”</p><p>Eric let out a breathy laugh, his mind preoccupied with how incredibly cute this side of Adam was. They’d never been this close, and Eric didn’t think Adam would let himself be unguarded with just anyone, so to share this moment with him was strangely flattering. He leaned in to press a kiss to Adam’s brow.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“For what?”</p><p>“For letting me get to know you.”</p><p>Adam shook his head.</p><p>“Don’t thank me. It’s all you. Thank you for giving me a second chance. Or more like, a fourteenth chance, but… still.”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p><em>I love you,</em> sizzled on the tip of Eric’s tongue, but he swallowed it down. It was far too soon for any of that, he thought, and settled with kissing Adam once more, soundly on the lips.</p><p>“Boys, dinner is ready!” Eric’s mom called from the other side of the door, giving it a rapid knock and startling both Eric and Adam, who shot up from the bed.</p><p>“B- Be right there, mum!” he yelled back, glaring at Adam who was laughing at his expense while they made their way downstairs.</p><p>Adam might not be a bully anymore, but he sure seemed to like watching Eric squirm. Which, funnily enough, Eric wasn’t entirely sure that he hated.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is my first published fic of 2020, yay! Also, it's my first time writing a cuddle scene, I hope it suffices. :) If you have any critiques, comments, kudos (all are welcome and appreciated), please leave them below. Thank you. &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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